Blue Jays Series Preview and Pitching Matchups: Jays @ Yankees

Game 3: May 26 – 4:05 ET

Aaron Sanchez (4-1, 3.20 ERA, 3.31 FIP) vs.
C.C. Sabathia (3-2, 3.41 ERA, 3.16 FIP)

Sanchez’s command can waver at times, but there’s no doubting his ability to miss bats and generate weak contact. His three pitch mix of sinker, curve and changeup is impressive, as all three offerings have excellent movement, and when his command is there, he can be downright dominant.

His lefty-righty splits were well documented heading into the year, and while he’s been able to mitigate that as a starter so far this year, lefties are definitely still having more success, which poses a potential problem against the lefty-heavy Yankees.

In his first start against the Yankees earlier this year, he didn’t seem to have a problem with the lineup the Yankees put forward, as he went 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K in a quality start, and if his command is with him, you should expect more of the same from him.

Everything looks good from Sanchez, the stuff is obviously there, command is much better, peripherals support the strong ERA, his batted ball data is fantastic, and he continues to improve every time out. It’s exciting to watch him grow into a legitimate top of the rotation type of starter.

Next: The Saunders extension: Are we there yet?

C.C. Sabathia has gone through a well documented set of trials and tribulations, and while he’s putting a together a decent season while admirably working through his off-field issues, this is another matchup I like for Jays hitters.

His stuff is a shadow of what it used to be, and he’s been getting lucky this year with a deflated HR/FB ratio, which is dramatically helping his ratios. His latest two start against the A’s and Orioles were impressive, going a combined 13 IP, while giving up a single ER, issuing one walk, and striking out 14 batters.

He’s on a roll, but I don’t think you can realistically expect this from him start in and start out. I’m giving the Jays offence a considerable advantage in this one.